Activation of, or regulation of access to, articles or media at a consumer's immediate point-of-presence (POP) is an emerging media distribution model. Examples include enabling pay-per-view movies at home or on the road, and remote activation of driver's licenses, credit cards, tickets, software, electronic games and products. Flexibility in the distribution model, such as the ability to provide pay-for-play, repeatable play and on-demand play, is highly desirable. Applications such as these require a method of activating an article or media at the consumer's POP in a controlled manner that facilitates different business objectives. The ability to provide repeatable (i.e. multi-use) and dynamic activation and regulation of access to optical media such as CDs and DVDs, in a manner that reduces shipping costs and environmental impact, is of particular interest.